Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to portable cooling and insulating devices which are used to keep food and beverages cold. In particular, it relates to freezable cooling devices which insulate and extract heat from food and beverage products before and during consumption.
There exist many re-usable, freezable liquids and gels which are used to cool food and beverages. In general, because of their size, shape and heat transfer characteristics, these existing devices can only be employed on specific containers or in insulated bags or iceboxes. These existing, freezable food and beverage cooling devices are not designed to change their heat transfer characteristics so that the rate of cooling can be controlled by the user. Many existing, individual, freezable, beverage cooling devices are bulky, non-flexible and cannot be used to cool and insulate most food products and many sizes and shapes of beverage containers. Many existing freezable beverage cooling devices make direct contact with the beverage and therefore must be kept very clean to remain sanitary. Most existing freezable cooling packs do not include insulation and therefore have a cold surface temperature which can create large amounts of condensation.
Examples of known prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 4,399,668; U.S. Pat. No. 4,831,842; U.S. Pat. No. 4,183,226; U.S. Pat. No. 333,068; U.S. Pat. No. 4,344,303; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,589,577.
The present invention will cool and insulate food and beverages of almost any size and shape and will provide a method of quickly and conveniently preparing food and beverages for storage and transportation. The present device overcomes many of the disadvantages of prior food and beverage cooling devices by providing flexibility of use and control over the rate at which heat is transferred from the coolant to the item being cooled. The freezable coolant is insulated so that the surface temperature of the device is increased thereby reducing or eliminating condensation on the surface of the device.
When used to line the insides of insulated bags or ice boxes, the device increases the insulating capacity of the bag or ice box while simultaneously providing cooling energy. The device may also be used as a cold or warm compress.
When used on individual, pre-chilled beverage products which freeze at temperatures below 32.degree. F. (0.0.degree. C.), the present invention will chill the beverage to temperatures well below the temperature of melting ice, at normal atmospheric conditions. When in use, the device is never in direct contact with the beverage, thus reducing the importance of keeping the device clean. The invention is made of nontoxic, durable and washable materials. Before use, the invention is simply stored in a freezer to allow the coolant cells to freeze and be ready for use at a moments notice.